Syllabus Exchange

The Syllabus Exchange, in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association, gives educators a way to enhance their curriculum by sharing ideas and teaching materials. Our goal is to provide a database of course syllabi, assignments, exercises and other teaching materials that can be shared. Our focus is in the area of journalism, electronic media and communication studies. We welcome not only editorial-sequence syllabi but also those from related fields, such as advertising and public relations. We also welcome high school and other teachers.

While we review each upload for appropriate content, we don't edit or warrant the material.

Here's how it works. When you share a syllabus, assignment or other teaching material, you'll receive 100 Poynter NewsU Training Points. To download a training resource, you will need 50 points [for each resource]. To get everyone started, we are giving every registered user at Poynter's NewsU 100 points. That means you can download two resources before you start sharing.

Media Writing I is an intro course in reporting and writing the news. Students are expected not only to write but also to read to keep up with current events; see how different outlets research, source and write a particular story; and to examine style and usage and weigh the impact of the words.

Syllabus for J1100 Principles of American Journalism course at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. The course is divided into three sections: 1.) journalism and democracy; 2.) ownership and economics; and 3.) law and ethics. Syllabus includes links to online resources and readings as well as descriptions of major assignments.

This exercise requires students to read "The Media Likes Scaring Us and We Like It," by journalist John Stossel, and to then writing an opinion piece about whether the news media spends too much time warning viewers about "dubious" risks and not enough time on other issues that may be more relevant/important to our daily lives.

This opinion writing exercise requires students to view an intriguing and controversial investigative broadcast news report. They are then asked to view an organization's negative response to the airing of this report. Students then write an opinion piece answering a very specific question about the news report, i.e. Was the report an example of responsible news reporting?

This exercise exposes students to a controversial news report and requires them to pay careful attention to the methods of reporting used within it.